New meter fare in autorickshaws soon
There are signs of an end to the uncertainty over whether a new meter fare in autorickshaws will be introduced in the district. Official sources involved in the process of fixing the fare say that it may be announced soon.But, a long battle is ahead for the authorities as at least 60 per cent of the nearly 7,000 autorickshaws in the district are old vehicles on which electronic meters cannot be fixed. Recalibration of the old meters or issuing new fare cards will be the major time-consuming tasks. The battle will get tougher if the unions still reject the fare as unviable.Indications so far only suggest that it may be reasonable. But, there is nothing that reveals the fate of the autorickshaw unions’ demand for Rs.20 as the minimum meter fare. The sources say that once the fare is introduced, the authorities will enforce it.The Government brought into effect on January 26 in Chennai city, the minimum fare of Rs.14. But, just as everyone thought at that time that the fare would be enforced across the State, the Government announced at the last minute that the authorities in the districts could discuss the local conditions and fix the fare later.
On the directions of Regional Transport Authority and District Collector Neeraj Mittal, an expert committee of public transport experts and also police and transport department officials had been formed to go into various factors that could determine the fare for Coimbatore. The process is over and the fare may be announced any moment, the sources say.Even as the process had been on, the Federation of Coimbatore District Autorickshaw Workers’ Union had told the authorities that it would not settle for any fare less than Rs.20, as the cost of fuel and spare parts had risen sharply. The doubling of the rate from Rs. 7 to Rs.14 had been done at least 20 years late. They said at various meetings that even the new fare would not be sufficient for them to make a reasonable earning.
Their argument even now is that when the people are paying Rs. 25 to Rs. 30 for a two-km trip, they will be willing to pay Rs. 20. The sources say some consumer organisations are of the view that the charge for Coimbatore can be increased by a rupee, but it should be ensured that no autorickshaw driver charges more than Rs.15. This view had also been expressed at a meeting, the sources say.The Coimbatore Consumer Cause has, however, opposed this. Its secretary K. Kathirmathiyon says only the Government-fixed fare should be applied to Coimbatore also. “If the size of the city or town is the deciding factor, will they fix for Mettupalayam and Tirupur fares that are higher than Coimbatore?” The consumer activist says that the rules do not permit for different fares.
